oil I should purchase by the case

[dave_albany]

Have my first BMW, 2005 R12RT.( total miles @ 4300) The oil consumption seems crazy. I see the other post of how to read the gauge and the software issues. However, Over the last 3,000 I am averaging 1,000 per qt of 20W/50. Seems to be no different rather long rides 300 +miles or just accumulation of miles.

 

I have kept notes on mileage and added amounts, for the dealer when I go in.

 

Any suggestions from you experienced BMW owners?

[1200Bob]

Dave, I have about 6000 miles on my 05 RT and I'm also averaging a quart per 1000 miles. I guess that's why they recommend an oil change every 6000 miles instead of 3000.

[pqbon]

Have my first BMW, 2005 R12RT.( total miles @ 4300) The oil consumption seems crazy. I see the other post of how to read the gauge and the software issues. However, Over the last 3,000 I am averaging 1,000 per qt of 20W/50. Seems to be no different rather long rides 300 +miles or just accumulation of miles.

 

I have kept notes on mileage and added amounts, for the dealer when I go in.

 

Any suggestions from you experienced BMW owners?

 

That sounds like a LOT of oil loss. For oil losses that bad I'm not sure it would work but the typical recommendation is to run the motor hard at high RPMs. It can cause the motor to re-brake in. I've had to do it on bikes in the past and my parents had to do the samething on a Mercedes a few years ago. In each case it worked well. High RPM heavy load for a hour or so...

 

However, with the OIL loss you are reporting you may actually have a problem with the rings or something.

[JohnBeaven]

New BMW feature - automatic oil changes.

Those crazy Germans think of everything!!

[keithb]

Dave

There was a great post on this board with a link about breaking in an engine. With 4300 miles on your bike you need to ride it like you stole it. The article mentioned bringing the engine up to running temperature and running it hard in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gear. I knew I should have printed that article. Maybe someone will have the link. But I know at this point with 4.3K miles you definitely need to ride it hard to reduce oil consumption. At least that is what I have been told from quite a few BMW afficionado's.

[JayW]

I am not sure what the answer is, but don't think this is it. I only rarely ride my RT like I stole it, and have minimal oil consumption. I wouldn't be happy if it were using a quart every 1K.

 

Jay

[keithb]

Did I miss something in your original post about your bike using a lot of oil? What I mean is you need to increase the RPM's so the rings will seat correctly and the motor will stop using oil. Using a lot of oil is not a good thing. My O5 RT turned 14K miles this weekend and after a 1100 mile ride through the mountains last week it used hardly any oil at all. I put maybe 2-3 oz. of oil in it.

[dnyman]

Dave,

 

You won't like this, but my dealer told me when I bought my 06 RT that the R motors use more oil, particularly when 'new', than the K motors. When I asked how much, he told me that BMW recognise up to 1 litre per 1000 km as 'OK'. I think that might equate to about the amount of oil you're using. Mind you, the dealer also said that he had only seen one motor that used that amount, and that it had now done about 20,000km, and didn't use a drop!

 

BTW - My RT uses very little oil - maybe 100 ml per 2000 km.

 

I do agree with the suggestions here that you should ride it pretty hard for a while. With mine, after the initial 1000km run in period, I rode it like I'd owned it all my life. Gave it heaps from time to time to bed the rings in properly. I think this issue stems from the fact that the air cooled motor is built verrrrry strong to last a long time, and the materials used for rings, etc, take a while to wear enough so the motor is 'settled'.

 

Dave.

[keithb]

Ok Dave here is the link for breaking in a motor. You can also go to motorcycle talk section of this website and look for the post titled. RT Break in

www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm. Enjoy.

[BiggerTwin]

Over the last 3,000 I am averaging 1,000 per qt of 20W/50.

I have had 3 Beemers and the first two used oil similar to yours. The third didn't use a drop and I was afraid BMW was going to recall it. I broke them all in the same way. While I think a quart every 1,000 miles is excessive, I still ordered a new RT and will hope for the best. The marginal cost and hassle of adding oil doesn't change my preference for the R1200RT over the competition.

 

Alan

[BMWSTeve]

Dave,

 

What kind of riding do you do? I commute 17-18 miles each way, about 50% interstate miles every day. I notice my R1200ST uses oil on commuting miles but not on trip miles like last weekend when I went down to WV for some backroad carving which involved a fair amount of high RPM usage. My R1100RS

was the same way if i recall correctly.

[FrankBrown]

My 05 12RT has 49,500 miles and uses about 6-8 ozs in 6k miles. i just came back from a 6k mile trip and used no oil at all. Started at the top red line and ended at the top red line. While all manufacturer's state 1 qt per 1k miles is acceptable, I do not agree.

[jeff852]

I bought a new 12RT in March. At the time of purchase, my friend who has a Boxer Cup Rep. told me to keep an eye on the oil level as it would probably use some oil in the first 6,000 or so miles. I'm happy to report that after 6,000 miles I have never had to add a drop of oil! I broke mine in fairly aggressively never going at a steady speed, lots of hills and curves, and red line occasionally. I have owned lots of new bikes and I am convinced this is the right way to break them in. I also changed oil at 600,2,000,3,000, and 5,000 miles. I always use a new filter when changing oil as well. Probably not necessary, but it gives me peace of mind.

[bross]

I bought a new 12RT in March. At the time of purchase, my friend who has a Boxer Cup Rep. told me to keep an eye on the oil level as it would probably use some oil in the first 6,000 or so miles. I'm happy to report that after 6,000 miles I have never had to add a drop of oil! I broke mine in fairly aggressively never going at a steady speed, lots of hills and curves, and red line occasionally. I have owned lots of new bikes and I am convinced this is the right way to break them in. I also changed oil at 600,2,000,3,000, and 5,000 miles. I always use a new filter when changing oil as well. Probably not necessary, but it gives me peace of mind.

 

Same here, followed the calsci method (modified motoman)

BreakIn

 

and my 06 RT hasn't used any oil in 13,000kms.

[Fergie]

I picked up my new 2006 R12RT in March with 300 miles on it. I broke it in like I was going to ride it, HARD. It has not used a drop. It had 300 miles on it because it was a demo so you can imagine how the test riders rode it. Just food for thought.

[sb955i]

5 quarts of top-up after 10,000 kms. (6k miles approx). Think of it as one looong continual oil change.. at least the engine will be happy. Consumption dropped a bit after the 10k service..

[Mudman]

I too picked up my 2006 RT in May. With only 1500 miles on it with fresh oil, filter, and valve adjustment I headed to Alaska for a 3 week, 8600 mile ride. I never changed oil or touched the bike during the trip. 8600 miles required 6 oz of motor oil I packed just in case. Prior to the trip I never added oil up to the 600 service or the 1500 mile mark when I prepped the bike for AK.

 

Break in;

0-600 miles varied RPMs occaisionally up to red line, light to moderate engine loading. No constant RPM or lugging below 3000 rpm.

600-1500 miles same as above but with heavier engine loading.

2500-10000 miles light and moderate riding according to road conditions.

 

My previous 96 RT used oil until 18000 miles and I broke it in easily as recomended in the rider manual.

 

Theory; high combustion loads aid in seating and burnishing the fit of the piston rings and cylinder. Varying the RPM only after thoroughly warmed up helps promote a wear patterns on moving parts for various demands down the road. Result...happy engine

[R1200Rdr]

I have an 05 R12RT, when I bought it the bike had 7k miles and now has 16k. I recently returned from 5k trip, almost all hiway/interstate riding, the engine used less than .5 qt. during the trip. Road speeds were in the 65 to 75 MPH range.

 

I agree with the other posts that indicate you need to ride it hard for a few thousand miles to get the rings seated.

 

Have fun, the R12 is a great machine.

 

Joe

[dave_albany]

THANKS to all for the input. I rarely let the RPM's lug low normal 5k +/- range. I will try to push it a little more, and let these parts set in. Based on what the dealer told me when I picked up the bike, all this information from members, indicate he was wrong to tell me to TAKE IT easy.

thanks again.

[TomfromMD]

For a contrary viewpoint, I broke my R1200RT in according to the book and normally cruise between 3,000~4,000 rpm. At 10,000 miles, my oil consumption is about 1 quart per 5,000 miles and I'm averaging over 50 mpg. Like they say, YMMV!